Police say they Tasered a 47-year-old man early Tuesday after he pulled a sabre on them and uttered death threats.

The man was arrested after a police stakeout at an Islamic Community Centre on Montreal’s Bélanger Street in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie.

The centre has been vandalized four times since April, with windows broken by rocks and bricks with hate messages attached to them. After the latest incident, overnight Friday to Saturday, officers from Station 44 decided to stake out the place, said Montreal police constable Simon Delorme.

At 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, they saw a suspect about to commit an act of vandalism. The officers called for backup and approached the man to arrest him. It was at this point he pulled out a sabre and threatened the officers, shouting hate messages, Delorme said.

The officers, noting his violent behaviour, used the Taser to neutralize him, Delorme said. He was then taken to hospital as per protocol, but he had no injuries. Police found a fake handgun in his car parked beside the centre.

The suspect is a white male and claims to be related to an extremist organization. He will be questioned by investigators on Tuesday afternoon and appear before a judge on Wednesday. The exact charges will be revealed later Tuesday.